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Chapter 248: Lanchi's One-on-One Master Tutoring
Chapter 248: Lanchi's One-on-One Master Tutoring
The following day.
On this winter morning, the dawn's light pierced through the thick fog, casting a soft glow on the marble walls of the Viscount's mansion in Lilor City.
Nestled in the rear of the city, the mansion was surrounded by exquisite gardens, with a distant view of the forest. The intricate family crest, carved above the grand entrance, shimmered in the morning light, heralding the start of a new day.
Viscount Francis escorted Lanchi out of the dining room on the first floor of the mansion.
Inside, magical stoves banished the winter chill.
"I hope you've been enjoying the breakfast style of our Northern Continent." Viscount Francis remarked with a smile, his voice deep and refined.
"This is the best hospitality I've ever received. Thank you, Viscount." Lanchi replied.
After a pleasant breakfast, Viscount Francis and Lanchi strolled down a long corridor within the mansion, its walls adorned with portraits of previous viscounts. The carpet, imported from the Southern Continent, featured intricate patterns and vibrant colors, lending a warm and tranquil ambiance to the hallway.
"Now, I must leave you to your task. Whether or not you can convince Miss Zestila to accept your tutelage, please don't feel pressured." Viscount Francis said.
"I will do my best, Viscount."
Finally, they arrived at a door adorned with intricate wooden carvings.
Viscount Francis knocked gently, but receiving no response, he waited a few seconds before slowly opening the door.
Before them lay a stunning private chamber. Miss Zestila's room resembled a miniature museum, meticulously arranged with books, magic crystals, artwork, and antiques.
A large window allowed the soft winter daylight to bathe the room, vividly illuminating the myriad decorations within.
By the window, a young lady sat at her desk.
"This is Mr. Loki, your new tutor. He's from the Southern Continent, so I believe his cultural background may differ from ours." Viscount Francis said, standing in the doorway with his hand on the doorknob.
The figure at the desk merely glanced back at Viscount Francis and Lanchi before turning away, resuming her focus on her magic book as if they were of little consequence.
Even that brief glance had been a mere courtesy to the Viscount.
"My apologies, Mr. Loki," Viscount Francis shook his head.
"Leave it to me, Viscount Francis. Thank you again for your family's hospitality." Lanchi nodded.
"...Then I shall attend to my duties." Viscount Francis patted Lanchi's arm and closed the door behind him.
Outside Zestila's room, the winter sun climbed higher in the sky, signaling the beginning of a new journey of instruction and learning.
Lanchi, holding a book, strolled over to another chair in the room and sat down with a smile.
He maintained a respectful distance from Zestila, as if assuring her that he wouldn't intrude on her personal space.
Then, without any indication of starting a lesson, Lanchi began writing in an Imperial textbook, seemingly absorbed in his own task.
By the long table against the wall, the figure remained seated, her head adorned with two metallic, blade-like dragon horns. Her dark hair shimmered with a hint of cyan, and her eyes held the distinctive feature of vertical pupils that lent a touch of ferocity and aloofness to her gaze.
Hidden in the shadows, the Cat Boss quietly observed. This young Viscountess seemed to be only fourteen or fifteen years old, which explained why she was still in preparatory school.
Despite her youth, her magical power far surpassed Lanchi's, at least reaching the higher end of the second rank.
The Cat Boss had never seen Lanchi teach before and was curious about his teaching abilities.
Time ticked by. Lanchi didn't initiate a conversation, and the young lady ignored him as if he were just another piece of furniture in the room.
Zestila neither chased him away nor interrupted her reading, treating the new tutor as if he were an inanimate object.
Yet, as time passed, Lanchi remained unperturbed, his calmness surpassing hers.
Nearly half an hour went by, and the almost immobile Zestila's book-flipping slowed.
She was growing confused.
Although this new teacher wasn't bothersome from the start, his persistent presence in her room made her feel uncomfortable.
"Have you had breakfast, Miss?" Lanchi finally spoke, still not looking up from his writing in the textbook.
"It's none of your business," Zestila replied without even glancing at him, clearly uninterested in any form of communication.
She just wanted him gone, assuming he was only here for the hefty payment, masking his inner hostility and sense of superiority toward her, a member of the demon tribe.
Humans were all the same, sometimes harboring malice that disgusted her even more than demons. Some tried to hide it under the veil of status and power, while others wore it brazenly.
"I'm sorry." Lanchi quickly said, "I've been of lowly status since I was young and don't know how to speak to a young lady of a noble family..."
Hearing Lanchi's words and Zestila's response, the Cat Boss pondered in the shadows.
"Aren't you always happily traveling with the Duchess of Herton Kingdom? I've never seen you act so inferior."
"..." Zestila glanced at Lanchi's dejected expression.
The room remained as quiet as ever.
But amidst the silence, she felt a prick in her heart for some unknown reason.
Usually, it was others who looked down on her. When had she ever looked down on others? She would never do something so despicable.
"I have." Zestila replied, no longer paying attention to Lanchi.
"Thank you." Lanchi said, and then continued with his work without further conversation.
The originally dim light in the room gradually brightened, and the wooden floor began to reflect a warm glow. The ancient clock embedded in the wall ticked slowly, its sound seeming more leisurely in the warm light.
More than ten minutes passed.
"Miss Zestila, can I be your friend?" Lanchi asked, as if he had finished a phase of his work, temporarily closing the book in his hand and looking up.
"Who are you?" Hearing this, Zestila retorted without a trace of politeness.
Like a hedgehog's defense against provocation.
"I'm sorry, I've never had any friends since I was young, and I'm always bullied..." Lanchi turned his head away, looking dejected and no longer meeting her gaze.
"..." Zestila remained silent for a long time.
She didn't know why, but she felt very uncomfortable.
She understood what it was like to have no friends and be bullied since childhood.
And this young man, with his overly soft, gentle, and kind demeanor, did seem like the type who would be easily bullied.
"Who dares to bully you in Lilor City? Just tell me, and I'll have my father deal with them." She said.
"Thank you." Lanchi expressed his gratitude sincerely.
"Also, you have a friend now." Zestila added.
"Who?"
"Me."
"Thank you."
Cat Boss: "???"
Is this guy trying to play the pity card?
"I'm deeply grateful to Viscount Francis, and I've also heard him mention that you have great magical talent..." Lanchi thought for a moment, his words hesitant.
"Alright, stop there. It's impossible for you to teach me. This is the only thing that's off the table. I don't want to learn about magical genealogy or magical engineering. I only want to learn practical magic, so let's not waste each other's time." Zestila raised her hand, refusing his offer.
"I'm sorry... I've never had any magical talent since I was young, and I'm not good at casting spells." Lanchi apologized again.
The Cat Boss suspected that apologizing had become Lanchi's trigger-happy response!
"..." Zestila finally turned around and gazed at Lanchi, remaining silent and hesitant for a long while.
"Otherwise, I can teach you how to cast spells." She said.
That way, you won't be bullied anymore.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Miss." Lanchi finally smiled.
"Come here."
And so, Lanchi sat down at Zestila's long table and listened as she began to explain the basics of spellcasting.
...
Unknowingly, more than an hour had passed.
Viscount Francis had just finished dealing with some matters and now stood outside Zestila's room, his heart filled with worry.
According to his secretary, Mr. Loki hadn't been chased out by Zestila midway through their session.
"Could it be that he's really able to tutor Zestila without any issues?" The Viscount paced back and forth in the corridor outside the door, taking tentative steps closer to the room, afraid to disturb Zestila but also curious about the situation within.
However, it was precisely because of the unusual calm inside the room that Viscount Francis couldn't grasp what was happening.
He couldn't help but listen in on their conversation from outside the door.
Gradually, his expression became filled with confusion.
He pressed his ear closer to the door, suspecting that he might have misheard.
It was only then that he finally understood what was going on inside the room.
The Viscount was stunned.
This was the first time he had seen a tutor get along so peacefully and communicate amicably with Zestila.
And...
Why was Zestila the one teaching him?!
(End of Chapter)
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